VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Hamburg, Germany-based publishing group Spiegel.net has partnered with accelerator XLHealth to acquire a 25% stake in Berlin-based brain-training startup NeuroNation for an unconfirmed seven-figure sum.

Johannesburg, South Africa-based independent retirement fund administrator Alexander Forbes Ltd sold its 60% holding in Lane Clark & Peacock's Swiss unit for an undisclosed sum last year, ahead of a 2014 initial public offering (IPO).

In a bid to generate sales outside the country, Switzerland-based dairy company Emmi has signed an agreement to buy half of Mexico-based cheese and fresh product exporter Mexideli for an undisclosed sum.

A Dutch arbitration court on Friday ordered American luxury jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co. to pay Swiss watchmaker Swatch Group $449 million in damages over their failed 20-year joint venture.

Austria's OMV will divest its 45% stake in German oil refinery Bayernoil to Varo Energy for an undisclosed amount. Varo Energy is a partnership between Swiss oil trading firm Vitol and American private equity firm Carlyle Group.

Gottex Fund Management Holdings on Monday announced that it is purchasing Swiss hedge fund EIM Group for $35.4 million in stocks. EIM shareholders will own 30% of the merged group, while Gottex owners will own the remaining 70% stake in the company.

Switzerland's Dufry is reportedly purchasing the remaining 49% stake in Greek travel retailer Hellenic Duty Free for €328 million. Dufry bought a controlling stake in HDF for €200.5 million last year.

German frozen food products supplier Hofmann Menu Manufaktur has been sold to Switzerland-based private equity firm Partners Group AG. Financial terms of the deal, however, remains unknown.

Investment banks Macquarie Group and UBS AG managed to raise $521.2 million in Australian insurer Cover-More's listing. Shares offered are priced at $2 per share and will start trading before the year ends.

Switzerland-based food group Nestle SA is divesting its Givaudan SA shares worth USD1.27 billion to institutional investors, according to a statement on the company's website.

Switzerland's Credit Suisse is selling its private customers business to German Bethmann Bank. Under the deal, Bethmann will take over Credit Suisse's 9,000 clients with EUR10 billion assets in Germany.

Swiss banking group Credit Suisse has put up for sale its remaining limited partnership interests in leveraged buyout firm DLJ Merchant Banking Partners. British private equity firm Coller Capital will be acquiring the assets.

Stockholm-based private equity firm Cevian Capital on Monday announced its acquisition of 25 million A-shares in truck manufacturer Volvo. The purchase brought Cevian's ownership to 68.7 million A-shares and 29.8 million B-shares.

According to a research study by Dow Jones & Company, Ireland attracted the most venture capital funding per capita in the European region. The data showed that most Irish tech startups have fared well even during the economic recession.

UK's Amec Plc is looking to acquire NASDAQ-listed Foster Wheeler AG. If the deal eventually pushes through, it could generate GBP5 billion (USD8 billion) for the Geneva-based engineering and power conglomerate.